Power management of redundant array based on network conditions

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided for redundant antenna systems and methods of managing the power allocated thereto. A redundant antenna system comprises a first antenna array and a second antenna array, wherein each of the first and second antenna arrays are oriented to transmit downlink signals to different geographic areas. A first set of antenna elements of the first antenna array and a second set of antenna elements of the second antenna array are powered by a common power supply. In a normal operating mode, the power supply only powers the first set of antenna elements and in aspects of a redundant operating mode used to serve a degraded geographic service area, the power supply powers both the first set of antenna elements and the second set of antenna elements.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/156,034, filed Jan. 22, 2021, entitled Power Management of RedundantArray Based on Network Conditions, the entirety of which is incorporatedherein by reference

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed, in part, to managing the power of aredundant array in a wireless communication network based on one or morenetwork conditions, substantially as shown in and/or described inconnection with at least one of the figures, and as set forth morecompletely in the claims.

According to various aspects of the technology, power is diverted fromor shared between one or more redundant antenna arrays and a primaryantenna array when one or more network conditions are satisfied in orderto provide coverage for user devices in a particular area. Whetherbecause a servicing access point experiences a fault or due to excesstraffic in a particular sector, wireless networks regularly experiencecircumstances where one or more user devices that would have otherwisebeen provided with wireless coverage from the servicing access point mayexperience an absence of coverage or degraded coverage. Using an antennasystem comprising a primary array and a redundant array with a commonpower supply, alternate or additional coverage may be provided to userdevices in at least a portion of the area that would have otherwise beenserved by the servicing access point.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the detaileddescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used in isolation as an aid in determining the scope of the claimedsubject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are described in detail herein withreference to the attached figures, which are intended to be exemplaryand non-limiting, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a diagram of an exemplary computing environment suitablefor use in implementations of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a diagram of an exemplary network environment inwhich implementations of the present disclosure may be employed;

FIGS. 3A-3B depicts a graphical representation of antenna systemssuitable for use in embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 4A-4D depict additional antenna systems suitable for use inembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram of an exemplary network environment inwhich implementation related to coverage recapture may be employed; and

FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of an exemplary method for redundant arraypower management by a wireless communication network, in accordance withimplementations of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter of embodiments of the invention is described withspecificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, thedescription itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent.Rather, it is contemplated that the claimed subject matter might beembodied in other ways, to include different steps or combinations ofsteps similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunctionwith other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the terms“step” and/or “block” may be used herein to connote different elementsof methods employed, the terms should not be interpreted as implying anyparticular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unlessand except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described.

Throughout this disclosure, several acronyms and shorthand notations areemployed to aid the understanding of certain concepts pertaining to theassociated system and services. These acronyms and shorthand notationsare intended to help provide an easy methodology of communicating theideas expressed herein and are not meant to limit the scope ofembodiments described in the present disclosure. The following is a listof these acronyms:

-   -   3G Third-Generation Wireless Technology    -   4G Fourth-Generation Cellular Communication System    -   5G Fifth-Generation Cellular Communication System    -   CD-ROM Compact Disk Read Only Memory    -   CDMA Code Division Multiple Access    -   eNodeB Evolved Node B    -   GIS Geographic/Geographical/Geospatial Information System    -   gNodeB Next Generation Node B    -   GPRS General Packet Radio Service    -   GSM Global System for Mobile communications    -   iDEN Integrated Digital Enhanced Network    -   DVD Digital Versatile Discs    -   EEPROM Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory    -   LED Light Emitting Diode    -   LTE Long Term Evolution    -   MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output    -   MD Mobile Device    -   PC Personal Computer    -   PCS Personal Communications Service    -   PDA Personal Digital Assistant    -   RAM Random Access Memory    -   RET Remote Electrical Tilt    -   RF Radio-Frequency    -   RFI Radio-Frequency Interference    -   R/N Relay Node    -   RNR Reverse Noise Rise    -   ROM Read Only Memory    -   RSRP Reference Transmission Receive Power    -   RSRQ Reference Transmission Receive Quality    -   RSSI Received Transmission Strength Indicator    -   SINR Transmission-to-Interference-Plus-Noise Ratio    -   SNR Transmission-to-noise ratio    -   SON Self-Organizing Networks    -   TDMA Time Division Multiple Access    -   TXRU Transceiver (or Transceiver Unit)    -   UE User Equipment    -   UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems    -   WCD Wireless Communication Device (interchangeable with UE)

Further, various technical terms are used throughout this description.An illustrative resource that fleshes out various aspects of these termscan be found in Newton's Telecom Dictionary, 31st Edition (2018).

Embodiments of our technology may be embodied as, among other things, amethod, system, or computer-program product. Accordingly, theembodiments may take the form of a hardware embodiment, or an embodimentcombining software and hardware. An embodiment takes the form of acomputer-program product that includes computer-useable instructionsembodied on one or more computer-readable media.

Computer-readable media include both volatile and nonvolatile media,removable and nonremovable media, and contemplate media readable by adatabase, a switch, and various other network devices. Network switches,routers, and related components are conventional in nature, as are meansof communicating with the same. By way of example, and not limitation,computer-readable media comprise computer-storage media andcommunications media.

Computer-storage media, or machine-readable media, include mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storing information.Examples of stored information include computer-useable instructions,data structures, program modules, and other data representations.Computer-storage media include, but are not limited to RAM, ROM, EEPROM,flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile discs(DVD), holographic media or other optical disc storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, and other magneticstorage devices and may be considered transitory, non-transitory, or acombination of both. These memory components can store data momentarily,temporarily, or permanently.

Communications media typically store computer-useableinstructions—including data structures and program modules—in amodulated data signal. The term “modulated data signal” refers to apropagated signal that has one or more of its characteristics set orchanged to encode information in the signal. Communications mediainclude any information-delivery media. By way of example but notlimitation, communications media include wired media, such as a wirednetwork or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic,infrared, radio, microwave, spread-spectrum, and other wireless mediatechnologies. Combinations of the above are included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media.

By way of background, a traditional wireless communication networkemploys one or more wireless access points to provide wireless access tomobile stations, in order that they may access a telecommunicationnetwork. For example, in a wireless telecommunication network, aplurality of access points, each providing service for a particulargeographic area, are used to transmit and receive wireless signalsto/from one or more UEs. For the purposes of this specification, anaccess point may be considered to be one or more otherwise-discretecomponents comprising an antenna, a radio, and/or a controller, and maybe alternatively referred to as a “node,” in that it is the bridgebetween the wired telecommunication network and the wirelessly connectedUE. In aspects, a unique node may be identified by its location (i.e.,at cell site A), its orientation/served geographic area (i.e.,configured to serve a sector between X° and Y°), and/or its ability tocommunicate with a UE according to a particular protocol (e.g., 3G, 4G,LTE, 5G, and the like).

Modern networks may be able to determine when an abnormal conditionexists within the wireless network. Whether based on an indication froman access point, base station, or antenna array, that one or morecomponents have failed or experienced a fault, based on an indicationfrom one or more UEs that wireless service is in a degraded condition oris absent, or based on an indication that a traffic load is higher thana threshold (e.g., within a range of an average traffic condition,exceeding a maximum load capability, etc.), the network operator mayreceive an indication that wireless service is degraded in a particulargeographic area. Frustrating the problem of an abnormal networkcondition, it may take days or weeks for a technician to climb a towerto replace or repair a damaged component. Further, installing redundantaccess points to act as backups in the instance that a serving nodefails or is overloaded, is limited by legal agreements with towercompanies, space on towers, wind load limitations on towers, and thesignificant financial burden of leasing additional space on towers.

As such, the present disclosure is directed to methods, systems, andcomputer readable media that manage the power of a redundant antennaarray that is supplied with power from the same power supply as aprimary antenna array, wherein the primary and redundant antenna arrayscomprise one or more directional antennas used to communicate indifferent directions. By utilizing a redundant array, a single antennasystem may be used to transmit signals in two different directions,which may allow the antenna system to provide service to user devicesthat have poor or no service due to congestion or a failure of aneighboring cell. Utilization of the redundant antenna array may providefor contingency service until a failed array can be repaired, networkmodifications can be made to serve a congested area, or until trafficconditions improve.

As used herein, the terms node, access point, or base station may beused interchangeably or without limitation to describe a link between afixed network and a mobile station (i.e., a UE). The terms “userdevice,” “user equipment,” “UE,” “mobile device,” “mobile handset,” and“mobile transmitting element” all describe a mobile station and may beused interchangeably in this description. Certain terminology may beused to differentiate access points and/or antenna arrays from oneanother; for example, a combination access point may be used to describean access point having a primary antenna array and a redundant antennaarray that have different orientations (i.e., configured to servedifferent geographic areas), distinguished from a traditional accesspoint which may be used to describe an access point comprising a singleantenna array used to communicate to a single geographic area.

Accordingly, a first aspect of the present disclosure is directed to Asystem for providing redundant coverage in a wireless network, thesystem comprising a first antenna array, the first antenna arraycomprising a first set of antenna elements, each of the first set ofantenna elements coupled to a power supply, wherein the first antennaarray is configured to transmit in a first direction. The system alsocomprises a second antenna array, the second antenna array comprising asecond set of antenna elements, each of the second set of antennaelements coupled to the power supply, wherein the second antenna arrayis configured to transmit in a second direction, the second directiondifferent than the first direction. The system further comprises acontrol element configured to selectively supply power from the powersupply to each of the first and second set of antenna elements.

A second aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a method Amethod for providing redundant coverage in a wireless network, themethod comprising receiving an indication of a wireless servicedegradation in a second geographic area. The method further comprisesdetermining that a second antenna array comprising a second set ofantennas is configured to transmit signals in to at least a portion ofthe second geographic area, each of the second set of antennas coupledto a power supply, wherein the power supply is additionally coupled to afirst set of antennas, the first set of antennas comprising at least aportion of a first antenna array configured to transmit signals to afirst geographic area, the first geographic area being different thanthe second geographic area. The method further comprises supplying afirst amount of power from the power supply to the first set of antennasand a second amount of power from the power supply to the second set ofantennas.

According to another aspect of the technology described herein, one ormore computer-readable media is provided having computer-executableinstructions embodied thereon that, when executed, cause the one or moreprocessors to receive an indication of a wireless service degradation ina second geographic area. The one or more processors are furtherconfigured to determine that a second antenna array comprising a secondset of antennas is configured to transmit signals in to at least aportion of the second geographic area, each of the second set ofantennas coupled to a power supply, wherein the power supply isadditionally coupled to a first set of antennas, the first set ofantennas comprising at least a portion of a first antenna arrayconfigured to transmit signals to a first geographic area, the firstgeographic area being different than the second geographic area. The oneor more computer processors are further caused to instruct a controlcomponent to supply a first amount of power from the power supply to thefirst set of antennas and a second amount of power from the power supplyto the second set of antennas.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a diagram is depicted of an exemplary computingenvironment suitable for use with implementations of the presentdisclosure. In particular, the exemplary computer environment is shownand designated generally as computing device 100. Computing device 100is but one example of a suitable computing environment and is notintended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use orfunctionality of the invention. Neither should computing device 100 beinterpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any oneor combination of components illustrated. In aspects, the computingdevice 100 may be a UE, WCD, or other user device, capable of two-waywireless communications with an access point. Some non-limiting examplesof the computing device 100 include a cell phone, tablet, pager,personal electronic device, wearable electronic device, activitytracker, desktop computer, laptop, PC, and the like.

The implementations of the present disclosure may be described in thegeneral context of computer code or machine-useable instructions,including computer-executable instructions such as program components,being executed by a computer or other machine, such as a personal dataassistant or other handheld device. Generally, program components,including routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, andthe like, refer to code that performs particular tasks or implementsparticular abstract data types. Implementations of the presentdisclosure may be practiced in a variety of system configurations,including handheld devices, consumer electronics, general-purposecomputers, specialty computing devices, etc. Implementations of thepresent disclosure may also be practiced in distributed computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote-processing devices thatare linked through a communications network.

With continued reference to FIG. 1 , computing device 100 includes bus102 that directly or indirectly couples the following devices: memory104, one or more processors 106, one or more presentation components108, input/output (I/O) ports 110, I/O components 112, and power supply114. Bus 102 represents what may be one or more busses (such as anaddress bus, data bus, or combination thereof). Although the devices ofFIG. 1 are shown with lines for the sake of clarity, in reality,delineating various components is not so clear, and metaphorically, thelines would more accurately be grey and fuzzy. For example, one mayconsider a presentation component such as a display device to be one ofI/O components 112. Also, processors, such as one or more processors106, have memory. The present disclosure hereof recognizes that such isthe nature of the art, and reiterates that FIG. 1 is merely illustrativeof an exemplary computing environment that can be used in connectionwith one or more implementations of the present disclosure. Distinctionis not made between such categories as “workstation,” “server,”“laptop,” “handheld device,” etc., as all are contemplated within thescope of FIG. 1 and refer to “computer” or “computing device.”

Computing device 100 typically includes a variety of computer-readablemedia. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can beaccessed by computing device 100 and includes both volatile andnonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example,and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise computerstorage media and communication media. Computer storage media includesboth volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storage of information suchas computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules orother data.

Computer storage media includes RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or othermemory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices. Computer storage media doesnot comprise a propagated data signal.

Communication media typically embodies computer-readable instructions,data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated datasignal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includesany information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means asignal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed insuch a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example,and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as awired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such asacoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any ofthe above should also be included within the scope of computer-readablemedia.

Memory 104 includes computer-storage media in the form of volatileand/or nonvolatile memory. Memory 104 may be removable, nonremovable, ora combination thereof. Exemplary memory includes solid-state memory,hard drives, optical-disc drives, etc. Computing device 100 includes oneor more processors 106 that read data from various entities such as bus102, memory 104 or I/O components 112. One or more presentationcomponents 108 presents data indications to a person or other device.Exemplary one or more presentation components 108 include a displaydevice, speaker, printing component, vibrating component, etc. I/O ports110 allow computing device 100 to be logically coupled to other devicesincluding I/O components 112, some of which may be built in computingdevice 100. Illustrative I/O components 112 include a microphone,joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, printer, wireless device,etc.

Radio 116 represents a radio that facilitates communication with awireless telecommunications network. In aspects, the radio 116 utilizesone or more transmitters, receivers, and antennas to communicate withthe wireless telecommunications network on a first downlink/uplinkchannel. Though only one radio is depicted in FIG. 1 , it is expresslyconceived that the computing device 100 may have more than one radio,and/or more than one transmitter, receiver, and antenna for the purposesof communicating with the wireless telecommunications network onmultiple discrete downlink/uplink channels, at one or more wirelessnodes. Illustrative wireless telecommunications technologies includeCDMA, GPRS, TDMA, GSM, and the like. Radio 116 might additionally oralternatively facilitate other types of wireless communicationsincluding Wi-Fi, WiMAX, LTE, or other VoIP communications. As can beappreciated, in various embodiments, radio 116 can be configured tosupport multiple technologies and/or multiple radios can be utilized tosupport multiple technologies. A wireless telecommunications networkmight include an array of devices, which are not shown so as to notobscure more relevant aspects of the invention. Components such as abase station, a communications tower, or even access points (as well asother components) can provide wireless connectivity in some embodiments.

Turning now to FIG. 2 , an exemplary network environment is illustratedin which implementations of the present disclosure may be employed. Sucha network environment is illustrated and designated generally as networkenvironment 200. Network environment 200 is but one example of asuitable network environment and is not intended to suggest anylimitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention.Neither should the network environment be interpreted as having anydependency or requirement relating to any one or combination ofcomponents illustrated.

Network environment 200 generally includes a cell site 202, one or moreuser devices, and one or more components configured to wirelesslycommunicate between the one or more user devices and a network 220. Asused herein, the term “cell site” is used to generally refer to one ormore cellular base stations, nodes, RRUs control components, and thelike (configured to provide a wireless interface between a wired networkand a wirelessly connected user device) that are geographicallyconcentrated at a particular site, so as not to obscure the focus of thepresent invention. Though illustrated as a macro site, the cell site 202may be a macro cell, small cell, femto cell, pico cell, or any othersuitably sized cell, as desired by a network carrier for communicatingwithin a particular geographic area. In aspects, such as the oneillustrated in FIG. 2 , the cell site 202 may comprise one or more nodes(e.g., NodeB, eNodeB, ng-eNodeB, gNodeB, en-gNodeB, and the like) thatare configured to communicate with user devices in one or more discretegeographic areas using one or more antennas of an antenna array. In theaspect illustrated in FIG. 2 , the cell site 202 may comprise a firstantenna system 204 a second antenna system 232 and a third antennasystem 234, wherein the first antenna system 204 is configured toprovide coverage for a first sector 211 while the first antenna system204 is operating in non-redundant mode, the second antenna system 232 isconfigured to provide coverage for a second sector 213, and the thirdantenna system 234 is configured to provide coverage for a third sector215. In aspects where the cell site 202 comprises more than one antennasystem, the antenna systems may be configured to face in differentdirections; for example, FIG. 2 illustrates that if the first antennasystem 204 is said to face 0 degrees relative, then the second antennasystem 232 may be said to face 180 degrees relative and the thirdantenna system 234 may be said to face 90 degrees relative.

The network environment 200 includes one or more user devices that arein wireless communication with the cell site 202 via the one or moreantenna systems. In an illustrative aspect, a first user device 210 maybe disposed in the first sector 211, a second user device 212 may bedisposed in the second sector 213, and a third user device 214 may bedisposed in the third sector 215 (though many more user devices may bein any sector or a sector may be vacant). In network environment 200,the user device 210, 212, or 214 may take on a variety of forms, such asa personal computer (PC), a user device, a smart phone, a smart watch, alaptop computer, a mobile phone, a mobile device, a tablet computer, awearable computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a server, a CDplayer, an MP3 player, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a videoplayer, a handheld communications device, a workstation, a router, ahotspot, and any combination of these delineated devices, or any otherdevice (such as the computing device 100) that communicates via wirelesscommunications with the cell site 202 in order to interact with one ormore component of the network 220. Each of the first user device 210,the second user device 212, or the third device 214 may be configured towirelessly communicate using any one or more wireless communicationprotocols (e.g., 5G, 4G, and the like).

In some cases, the user devices in network environment 200 canoptionally utilize network 220 to communicate with each other and/orcomputing devices (e.g., a mobile device(s), a server(s), a personalcomputer(s), etc.) through the one or more component associated with thecell site 202. The network 220 may be a telecommunications network(s),or a portion thereof. A telecommunications network might include anarray of devices or components (e.g., one or more base stations), someof which are not shown. Those devices or components may form networkenvironments similar to what is shown in FIG. 2 , and may also performmethods in accordance with the present disclosure. Components such asterminals, links, and nodes (as well as other components) can provideconnectivity in various implementations. Network 220 can includemultiple networks, as well as being a network of networks, but is shownin more simple form so as to not obscure other aspects of the presentdisclosure.

Network 220 can be part of a telecommunication network that connectssubscribers to their immediate service provider. In some instances,network 220 can be associated with a telecommunications provider thatprovides services (e.g., voice, data, SMS) to user devices, such as userdevices 210, 212, or 214. For example, network 208 may provide voice,SMS, and/or data services to user devices or corresponding users thatare registered or subscribed to utilize the services provided by atelecommunications provider. Network 220 can comprise any one or morecommunication networks providing voice, SMS, and/or data service(s),such as, for example, a 1× circuit voice, a 3G network (e.g., CDMA,CDMA2000, WCDMA, GSM, UMTS), a 4G network (WiMAX, LTE, HSDPA), or a 5Gnetwork.

In aspects of the present invention, an antenna system is disclosed thatprovides redundant coverage. Conventionally, a sector antenna system(also referred to as an antenna panel) is a directional antenna systemused to transmit and/or receive signals within a particular horizontal(i.e., azimuthal) range and may comprise one or more antenna elements,which may be arranged into one or more arrays or subarrays, and areflector. As used herein, the term “reflector” is used to generallyrefer to a component that reflects RF waves in a particular direction(i.e., reflecting plate, ground plane, reflecting surface). In otherwords, a conventional sector antenna system is configured to transmitwithin a horizontal range, at most +/−90 degrees of a vector that isnormal to the surface/face of the reflector. In order to provideappropriate levels of coverage, wireless network operators typicallyarrange at least one sector antenna system to face into each sectorserved by a particular cell site. Each conventional antenna system isindividually supplied with a unique power supply, allowing anyparticular antenna system to transmit at full power to its desiredcoverage area. Adding antenna systems to a tower is limited by both windload considerations, weight, space availability (towers typically hostantenna systems for multiple operators), and also by economic factors(increasing the amount of money an operator must pay a tower company tolease a particular footprint on the tower). Aspects of the presentdisclosure solve these problems, and are directed to a redundant antennasystem.

Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to a redundantantenna system that comprises a first directional antenna system (e.g.,a first antenna panel) and a second directional antenna system (e.g., asecond antenna panel) that share a power source but are configured toface (i.e., transmit signals) in different directions. FIG. 2 generallyillustrates that the first antenna system 204 may be referred to as aredundant antenna system type and comprises a first panel 206 and asecond panel 208; in contrast, each of the second and third antennasystems 232 and 234 comprise only a single panel configured todirectionally transmit signals to their respective sectors. Theredundant antenna system disclosed herein is defined by the first panel206 and the second panel 208 facing in different directions; forexample, in the illustrated aspect, the first panel 206 of the firstantenna system 204 is configured to face 0 degrees relative and thesecond panel 208 of the first antenna system 204 is configured to face180 degrees relative. Though illustrated as only having one of theredundant antenna systems (i.e., the first antenna system 204), it isspecifically envisioned that more than one redundant antenna system maybe at a particular cell site, or that every antenna system at a cellsite is of the redundant antenna system type.

The redundant antenna system disclosed herein may be said to generallyhave two operational modes: normal (non-redundant) and redundant. In anormal, non-redundant operation mode, the first antenna system 204 willonly transmit signals from the first panel 206 to the first sector 211,which may be said to be generally defined by a first sector boundary 216and a third sector boundary 218, and will not transmit signals from thesecond panel 208. As discussed in greater detail herein, upon adetermination or indication that a service degradation has occurred inan area that the second panel 208 is capable of serving, power will besupplied from a common power supply to a second set of antenna elementsof a second antenna array that comprises the second panel 208 inaddition to (or instead of) supplying a first set of antenna elements ofa first antenna array that comprises the first panel 206. Thus, inaddition to the power supply supplying the first set of antennas of thefirst antenna panel 206, being used to transmit wireless downlinksignals to the first sector 211, the power supply is also supplying thesecond set of antennas of the second antenna panel 208, being used totransmit wireless downlink signals to the second sector 213.

Turning to FIGS. 3A-3B, the redundant antenna system 204 of FIG. 2 isshown in greater detail. As noted with respect to FIG. 2 , the redundantantenna system 204 comprises a first antenna panel 206 and a secondantenna panel 208. The first antenna panel 206 comprises a first antennaarray 310 and the second antenna panel 208 comprises a second antennaarray 320, each of the first antenna array 310 and the second antennaarray 320 being comprised of a plurality of antenna elements. A subsetof the first antenna array 310 may be defined as a first set of antennaelements 312 and a subset of the second antenna array 320 may be definedas a second set of antenna elements 322. In aspects, the first set ofantenna elements 312 may comprise the same number of antenna elements asthe second set of antenna elements 322; however, in other aspects thenumbers may be different. Further, though FIG. 3A depicts each of thefirst set of antenna elements 312 and the second set of antenna elements322 as comprising 8 antenna elements, each of the sets of antennaelements may comprise at least 2 antenna elements (e.g., 2, 4, 8, 16,32, or 64 elements per set). As shown in FIG. 3A, the first set ofantenna elements 312 and the second set of antenna elements may bemirrored; that is, the first set of antenna elements 312 may be in thesame position on the first antenna panel 206 as the second set ofantenna elements 322 on the second antenna panel 208 (e.g., columns A-D,rows 1-2). In other aspects, the position of the first set of antennaelements 312 on the first antenna panel 206 may be symmetrically relatedto the position of the second set of antenna elements 322 on the secondantenna panel 208 (e.g., the first set of antenna elements 312 may be incolumns A-D, rows 1-2 of the first antenna panel 206 and the second setof antenna elements 322 may be in columns E-H, rows 1-2 of the secondantenna panel 208).

Regardless of how many antenna elements make up each of the first set ofantenna elements 312 and the second set of antenna elements 322, both ofthe first set of antenna elements 312 and the second set of antennaelements are powered by a common power supply 302. Though it could takedifferent forms, power supply 302 may comprise a power amplifier. Thepower amplifier 302 may be said to be coupled to each antenna element ofthe first set of antenna elements 312 via a first power feed 314 andcouple to each antenna element of the second set of antenna elements 322via a second power feed 324. In normal operation, when the redundantantenna system is only transmitting with the primary first antenna panel206, the power supply 302 only provides power to the first set ofantenna elements 312 and does not supply power to the second set ofantenna elements 322 (i.e., the power supplied to the second set ofantenna elements 322 is 0 dBm). In redundant operation, a controlcomponent, such as a switch, may operate to selectively provide power tothe second set of antenna elements 322.

In redundant mode, the redundant antenna system 204 may be configured toallocate power between the first set of antenna elements 312 and thesecond set of antenna elements 322 in any of a number of variousconfigurations. In a first configuration, it may be determined that thepower supply is capable of supplying a maximum total power of 40 dBm toany connected antenna element(s); if a first amount of power, suppliedto the first set of antennas 312, is less than that maximum, it may besaid that a power headroom exists (the difference between the maximumtotal power capable of being supplied by the power supply 302 and thefirst amount of power). In such an instance, a second amount of powermay be supplied to the second set of antenna elements 322 in an amountequal to or less than the power headroom without changing thepropagation characteristics of the first antenna panel 206.

In another aspect, such as an aspect where the power supply 302 is beingfully utilized to power the first set of antenna elements 312 in anormal operation mode, upon activation of the redundant mode, the powersupply 302 may re-allocate (or be instructed to re-allocate) at least aportion of the first amount of power from the first set of antennaelements 312 to the second set of antenna elements 322. In onenon-limiting example, if the power supply 302 is capable of supplying 40dBm and was supplying the full 40 dBm to the first set of antennaelements 312 during normal operation, then when the redundant antennasystem 204 enters redundant mode, the first amount of power may bereduced from 40 dBm to 37 dBm and re-allocated to the second set ofantennas 322 such that the second amount of power is also 37 dBm. Inother aspects, only a portion of the power reduction may be reallocated(e.g., in the previous example the first amount of power may be reducedfrom 40 dBm to 37 dBm, leaving 37 dBm available, and the second amountof power may be increased from 0 dBm to 34 dBm, leaving 34 dBm of poweravailable should it be desired that the first amount of power or thesecond amount of power be further modified).

Power allocation may be static or dynamic. In aspects where powerallocation is static, the total power available to be supplied by thepower supply 302 may be equally divided or divided based on known oranticipated propagation characteristics of the first antenna panel 206and the second antenna panel 208. For example, in redundant mode, if thepower supply 302 is capable of supplying a total maximum power of 40dBm, then 37 dBm may be allocated to each of the first set of antennaelements 312 and the second set of antennas 322. In aspects where powerallocation is based on propagation characteristics, it may be known (orestimated) that a degraded service area may be served by the secondantenna panel 208 by supplying the plurality of antenna elements thatcomprise the second antenna array with a particular amount of power,which functionally equate to ensuring a certain quality of connectionwithin a certain range. For example, if a degraded access point serves ageographic area that is smaller than the redundant antenna system 204,when a service degradation occurs, the degraded geographic service areamay be served by the second antenna panel 208 using less than half ofthe maximum power available from the power supply (i.e., if a degradedgeographic service area can be served by the second antenna panel 208 bysetting the second amount of power to 31 dBm, the first amount of powercould be as much as 39.4 dBm). In other aspects, the power allocationmay be dynamic. Dynamic power decisions may be based, for example, onquantity and location of UEs within the degraded geographic service areaand/or the quantity and/or location of UEs within the geographic areaserved by the first antenna panel 206 (e.g., the first sector 211 ofFIG. 2 ). In one non limiting example, if it is determined that arelatively low number of UEs are in the degraded geographic service areaand disposed near the redundant antenna system 204, the second amount ofpower may be reduced; whereas, if the number of UEs increases and/orthey move further away from the redundant antenna system 204, the secondamount of power may be increased to continue serving the UEs in thedegraded geographic service area. The first amount of power may besimilarly reduced or increased based on the location and number of UEsin the geographic service area served by the first antenna panel 206. Ina dynamic power allocation scheme, it is thus possible that the maximumtotal power available from the power supply 302 may not be fullyutilized.

The redundant antenna system 204 shown in FIGS. 2-3B depicts a systemwherein the first antenna panel 206 is back-to-back and parallel to thesecond antenna panel 208. For the purposes of this specification, thisrelative orientation between panels may be described as the firstantenna panel 206 and the second antenna panel 208 being offset by 180degrees. FIGS. 4A-4D illustrate other non-limiting examples of redundantantenna system configurations. A redundant antenna system may have 2panels or more than 2 panels. For example, FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate aredundant antenna system comprising three discrete antenna panels with a120 degree offset. In aspects with three or more antenna panels, asingle power supply may be connected to a set of antenna elements oneach panel and may have any one or more of the features described withrespect to the two panel system disclosed in FIGS. 2-3B. FIGS. 4C-4Dillustrate an aspect of the redundant antenna system where each panel ofthe redundant antenna system is not equally offset. For example, theredundant antenna system may comprise two panels that may only be 90degrees offset. Though the first and second antenna panels areconfigured/oriented to transmit signals in different directions, theareas served by the panels may have some overlap. Such an aspect may beuseful when implementing redundant coverage for a particularly hightraffic area.

Returning to FIG. 2 , the network environment 200 may further comprise apower management engine 240, which may take the form of one or moreexecutable processes running on one or more computer processing devices.The power management engine 240 comprises at least a monitor 242, ananalyzer 244, and a controller 246, each of which may take the form ofone or more computer processing components or executable processesrunning thereon.

The monitor 242 is generally responsible for monitoring the networkenvironment 200 for indications that the first antenna system 204 shouldchange operational modes. In aspects, the monitor 242 may determinewhether the first antenna system 204 should change from the normaloperating mode to the redundant mode or from redundant mode to normalmode. Specifically, the monitor 242 may detect or receive indications ofchanges in coverage in a particular area that may be relevant to makingoperating mode changes. The monitor may detect (e.g., detecting a faultin an antenna element), determine (e.g., by detecting a change to theRSRQ, RSRP, SINR, etc., observed by a UE within a particular are), orreceive an indication from an outside source (e.g., an MME) that aservice degradation has occurred, is likely to have occurred, or islikely to occur (e.g., based on trends of equipment or traffic load).Using FIG. 2 as an illustrative example, the monitor 242 may determinethat the second antenna system 232 has experienced a fault, such as byreceiving an indication from a node, an MME, or the network 220 that atleast one antenna element of the antenna array that comprises the secondantenna system 232 is not operating nominally. The monitor may associatethe antenna fault information with a particular geographic area that maybe (or is) impacted by the degradation. In this illustrative example,the monitor 242 may associate the second sector 213 with the degradedsecond antenna system 232 and communicate the information to theanalyzer 244. In other examples, the monitor 242 may determine that aservice degradation exists based on an overload condition; that is, thatan amount of traffic load within the second sector 213 exceeds apredetermined threshold and that the second antenna system is unable toserve all of the traffic in the second sector 213 as desired. Such athreshold may be a maximum capacity of the second antenna system 232 ora portion of the maximum capacity (e.g., 75%, 90%, etc.) in order thatthe network environment may proactively bring on redundant antennasystems to prevent undesirable affects for user devices caused byincreasing traffic (i.e., preventing maximum capacity would prevent calldrops, call failures, etc.). Regardless of what caused the servicedegradation or which geographic area is affected by the servicedegradation (referred to herein as the degraded geographic servicearea), the monitor 242 communicates the location of the degradedgeographic service area and/or the cause of the service degradation tothe analyzer 244.

At a high level, the analyzer 244 is configured to determine theavailability of redundant antenna systems and determine power managementinstructions therefor. Based on information communicated from themonitor 242, the analyzer may be provided with an indication about thelocation of the degraded geographic service area and/or the cause of theservice degradation (e.g., fault, failure, traffic overload(ing), etc.).The analyzer may compare the information received from the monitor 242to information that is known about the location and capabilities ofredundant antenna systems within the network environment. Using FIG. 2as an illustrative example, the analyzer 244 may compare informationreceived from the monitor 242 (that the degraded geographic service areacomprises the second sector 213) against a known location of theredundant antenna system 204. The analyzer 244 may know that theredundant antenna system 204 is located at the cell site 202 and thatthe redundant antenna system 204 comprises a redundant second antennapanel 208 that is capable of transmitting signals (also referred to as abacklobe) to the second sector 213. Based on this information, theanalyzer 244 may make power management decisions. In a first aspect, ifthe analyzer 244 has received information that the service degradationis the result of a traffic condition, the analyzer 244 may determinethat the first antenna system 204 should switch to redundant mode byallocating a second amount of power to the second set of antennas (e.g.,the second set of antennas 322 of FIG. 3A). In this aspect, the analyzer244 may also communicate with the monitor 242 to regularly monitor andprovide updates of the traffic condition in the second sector 213 to theanalyzer 244 in order that the analyzer 244 may determine when theredundant antenna system 204 should revert to the normal operating mode(i.e., when the traffic falls back below the predetermined threshold).In other aspects, if the analyzer 244 is provided with information thatthe service degradation is due to a hardware fault or failure of thesecond antenna system 232, the analyzer 244 may determine that the firstantenna system should switch to redundant mode and supply the secondamount of power to the second antenna panel 208 until the analyzer 244receives a subsequent communication that the service degradation hasbeen resolved. The analyzer 244 may determine the first amount of powersupplied to the first set of antennas 312 of FIG. 3A and the secondamount of power supplied to the second set of antennas 322 as describedin greater detail herein. Once the analyzer has determined the firstamount of power and the second amount of power, the analyzer 244 willcommunicate the same to the controller 246. The controller 246 willeither execute the power decisions (e.g., if the controller 246 islocal, it may take the form of the power supply or a switch) orcommunicate the instructions to the appropriate power supply (e.g., ifthe controller 246 is remote).

Turning now to FIG. 5 , network environment 500 is illustrated with oneor more components of FIG. 2 and an additional cell site 510. Cell site510 may be said to comprise access point 512, wherein access point 512,in a first operating condition, is configured to transmit a wirelessdownlink signal to and serve a neighboring sector 516 defined by sectorboundaries 514. In an aspect of the present disclosure, it is envisionedthat the second antenna system 232 may become degraded, whether due to afault, failure, or traffic condition. In becoming degraded, the secondantenna system 232 may fail to serve one or more of the UEs in thesecond sector 213, which may then be referred to as the degradedgeographic service area. In such a condition, the redundant antennasystem 204 may be configured to operate in a redundant mode such thatthe second antenna panel 208 is powered in order to serve one or more ofthe UEs in the second sector 213. In aspects where the second antennapanel 208 is powered in addition to the first antenna panel 206, thesecond antenna panel 208 may not be able to serve the entire degradedgeographic service area. For example, a fourth UE 504 may have beendisposed at or near the cell edge of the second sector 213 and may havebeen served by the second antenna system when full power was allocatedto serving the second sector 213; however, having less power supplied,the second antenna panel 208 may only be able to serve a redundantgeographic service area having boundaries 217. In this example, thefourth UE 504 is disposed beyond the redundant geographic service area.In order to serve the fourth UE 504, upon a determination or indicationthat the redundant antenna system 204 is operating in a redundant modeand that the redundant geographic service area served by the secondantenna panel 208 is not serving a particular area or a particular UE(e.g., the fourth UE 504), an indication may be communicated (e.g.,using the X2 interface or another inter-node interface) to the accesspoint 512 at the second cell site 510 to modify its transmissioncharacteristics to recapture the area and or UE that are now unserved bythe second antenna panel 208 as it operates in redundant mode. Forexample, the access point 512 may increase its transmission power orutilize beamforming to extend its coverage area such that a recapturedgeographic service area 520 having boundaries 518 includes dropped UEs,such as the fourth UE 504.

FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of an exemplary method 600 for managingpower allocation of a redundant antenna system. At step 610, anindication of a coverage in a first sector is received. As discussedwith respect at least to FIGS. 2 and 5 , such an indication may be theresult of a fault or failure that has been detected by a first accesspoint that is normally configured to serve the first sector. Saidindication may also be based on a determination that an amount oftraffic requesting service from the first access point exceeds apredetermined threshold. In aspects, the threshold may comprise amaximum service capacity of the first access point. For example, if thefirst access point is configured to serve a maximum of N number of UEs,but N+10 UEs are requesting service from the first access point, thefirst access point may be said to be overloaded, which may trigger theindication of step 610. In another aspect, the predetermined thresholdmay be said to be a portion of N; for example, the threshold may be saidto be 0.75N, 0.9N, or any other desirable level that, when exceeded,trigger the indication of step 610. A proportional threshold mayspecifically be desirable to prevent UEs from having connection failuresbefore the method 600 is triggered.

Once the indication of 610 has been received, at step 620, it isdetermined that a second sector backlobe is available. For example, withreference to FIGS. 2 and 5 , if an indication is received that acoverage requirement exists in sector 213, at step 620, it may bedetermined that a redundant antenna system, such as the redundantantenna system 204, has a second antenna panel 208 that is capable oftransmitting a second set of downlink signals to the degraded servicearea in sector 213 which may be said, for the purposes of method 600, toserve the first sector using a second sector backlobe. Once it has beendetermined that a second sector backlobe is available, for example bydetermining the availability of the second antenna panel 208 to transmitdownlink signals, the method 600 may proceed to step 630, wherein theredundant antenna system, such as the redundant antenna system 204 ofFIG. 2 , is caused to transmit a signal to the degraded first sectorusing the antenna panel that is capable of producing a second sectorbacklobe. In aspects, step 630 may be the result of receiving anindication from a remote component to transmit a signal to the firstsector using the second sector backlobe or, in aspects where method 600is at least partially executed local to the redundant antenna system,step 630 may be executed by a local instruction, based on localdeterminations in steps 610 and/or step 620.

Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as wellas components not shown, are possible without departing from the scopeof the claims below. Embodiments in this disclosure are described withthe intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternativeembodiments will become apparent to readers of this disclosure after andbecause of reading it. Alternative means of implementing theaforementioned can be completed without departing from the scope of theclaims below. Certain features and subcombinations are of utility andmay be employed without reference to other features and subcombinationsand are contemplated within the scope of the claims

In the preceding detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like numeralsdesignate like parts throughout, and in which is shown, by way ofillustration, embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be understoodthat other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changesmay be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.Therefore, the preceding detailed description is not to be taken in thelimiting sense, and the scope of embodiments is defined by the appendedclaims and their equivalents.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system for providing redundant coverage in a wireless network, the system comprising: a first antenna array, the first antenna array comprising a first set of antenna elements, each of the first set of antenna elements coupled to a power amplifier, wherein the first antenna array is configured to provide coverage to a first geographic service area; a second antenna array, the second antenna array comprising a second set of antenna elements, each of the second set of antenna elements coupled to the power amplifier, wherein the second antenna array is configured to provide coverage to a second geographic service area; a control element configured to selectively supply power from the power amplifier to the first set of antenna elements in a first operational mode and to supply power from the power amplifier to the second set of antenna elements in a second operational mode; and one or more computer processing components configured to: determine that a UE is disposed in a geographic area beyond a downlink range of the second antenna array when the second set of antennas is supplied with the power; and communicate an instruction to a second access point to transmit a downlink signal with one or more modified transmission characteristics, wherein the one or more modified transmission characteristics provides a wireless downlink connection between the second access point and the UE.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the selective supply of power from the power amplifier to the second set of antenna elements in the second operational mode is based on a determination that a service degradation has occurred in a degraded geographic service area and that the second antenna array is configured to transmit signals to at least a portion of the degraded geographic service area.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the service degradation comprises receiving an indication that a third antenna array is faulty, the third antenna array configured to transmit signals to the degraded geographic service area.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein prior to instructing the control element to supply the power to the second set of antenna elements, a first amount of power is supplied to the first set of antenna elements and a second amount of power is supplied to the second set of antenna elements, and wherein the second amount of power is zero.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the instruction to supply the power to the second set of antenna elements comprises instructing the control element to supply the second set of antenna elements with the second amount of power, the second amount of power equal to a power headroom of the power supply.
 6. The system of claim 4, wherein the instruction to supply the power to the second set of antenna elements comprises instructing that the first amount of power is to equal the second amount of power.
 7. The system of claim 2, wherein the system further comprises a third antenna array, the third antenna array configured to transmit downlink signals to the degraded geographic service area prior to the determination that the service degradation has occurred.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the first antenna array and the second antenna array is configured to transmit and receive signals according to a same wireless communication protocol.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein a location of the first set of antenna elements on the first antenna array is identical to a location of the second set of antenna elements on the second antenna array.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the control element comprises a switch communicatively coupled to a mobility management entity.
 11. A non-transitory computer storage media storing computer-usable instructions that, when used by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive an indication of a wireless service degradation in a second geographic area; determine that a second antenna array of a second antenna panel comprising a second set of antennas is configured to transmit signals in to at least a portion of the second geographic area, each of the second set of antennas coupled to a power supply, wherein the power supply is additionally coupled to a first set of antennas of a first antenna panel, the first set of antennas comprising at least a portion of a first antenna array configured to transmit signals to a first geographic area, the first geographic area being different than the second geographic area; supply a first amount of power from the power supply to the first set of antennas and a second amount of power from the power supply to the second set of antennas; determine that a UE is disposed in the second geographic area beyond a downlink range of the second antenna array when the second set of antennas is supplied with the second amount of power, and communicate an instruction to a second access point to transmit a downlink signal with one or more modified transmission characteristics, wherein the one or more modified transmission characteristics provides a wireless downlink connection between the second access point and the UE.
 12. The non-transitory computer storage media of claim 11, wherein prior to supplying power from the power supply to the second set of antennas, the method further comprises determining that the second amount of power is zero.
 13. The non-transitory computer storage media of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises determining that a power headroom of the power supply, wherein the power headroom is a difference between the first amount of power and a maximum available power supply capability of the power supply.
 14. The non-transitory computer storage media of claim 13, wherein the second amount of power is equal to the power headroom.
 15. The non-transitory computer storage media of claim 11, wherein supplying power from the power supply to each of the first set of antennas and the second set of antennas comprises decreasing the first amount of power by a diversion amount and increasing the second amount of power by the diversion amount.
 16. The non-transitory computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the first amount of power equals the second amount of power. 